SPA Girls Podcast

USA Today Bestseller, Janie Crouch, shares amazing tips and advice on how she built her readership, launched her romantic suspense, and how she approaches the Business of Authoring and separates it from the creative side of writing. This is a classic replay of a fantastic episode we recorded originally in April 2021. Janie’s writing journey began in the academic world. With a B.A. in English Communication from Montreat College and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Regent University, she initially channeled her creative energy into scholarly work. Her doctoral dissertation explored how people form relationships with sci-fi and fantasy characters—revealing her lifelong passion for genre fiction. While her academic advisors often encouraged her to “dial down the drama,” that same dramatic flair now fuels her bestselling romantic suspense novels. (www.janiecrouch.com) Janie’s discusses her release strategy, approach to advertising – what has worked for her and what HASN’T, as well being very upfront about her income and how much she’s spending on advertising to grow her sales. Janie also discusses how she’s found the pros and cons of publishing widely versus Amazon-exclusively. Connecting with her readers has been a key component to her success via her facebook reader group and newsletter. About Janie USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Janie Crouch writes what she loves to read: passionate romantic suspense featuring protective heroes.  Her books have won multiple awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s coveted Vivian® Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Booksellers’ Best Award for romantic suspense. After a lifetime on the East Coast, and a six-year stint in Germany due to her husband’s job as support for the U.S. Military, Janie has settled into her dream home in Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. When she’s not listening to the voices in her head—and even when she is—she enjoys engaging in all sorts of crazy adventures (Ultramarathons across Kenya; Ironman Triathlons, treks to Mt. Everest Base Camp…), traveling, and being a mom of four.  Her favorite quote: “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” ~ Helen Keller www.JanieCrouch.com 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Who doesn’t want to hand off their least-favorite tasks to a trusted assistant? So how do you go about finding the right person? And what’s the cost? Kevin Tumlinson is an award-winning and bestselling author, known as “the Voice of Publishing” for his work as a podcaster and speaker, helping thousands of authors to start, build, and grow their author careers. Kevin is the Chief Brand Officer for Author Anchor—a service aimed at connecting writers to highly trained and qualified virtual assistants, so they can hand off the tough tasks of their author business and “just write.” We ask Kevin all our burning questions – how to find the right assistant, what the costs are, at what point do authors need one, what happens if it doesn’t work out and lots more! Links:AuthorAnchor.com Get $50 your first month Kevin’s Wordslinger Podcast https://www.kevintumlinson.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

We’re celebrating 500 episodes of the SPA Girls – from our baby podcaster days back in 2015 to today, we share some BEHIND THE MICS stories. How we met, why we started and why we’ve last this long (almost ten years so far, publishing an episode weekly). Plus our vision for the future and selfpublishing 🙂 Thank you so much to all those who’ve listened, downloaded, watched, reviewed, cheered on, guested and emailed. We truly appreciate every single one of you! 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

This episode features an interview with the incredible Ana Huang, multi-million copy bestselling author of new adult and contemporary romance! Ana is a super-smart, hardworking author with a tonne of great advice that she generously shared with SPA Girls Podcast listeners in this information-packed episode. We range in topics from marketing, to TikTok, to branding, to translations, and everything in between. A must-listen for authors at all stages of their writing career. NB Since recording this podcast in 2023, Ana has achieved many more #1 bestsellers (see her website for details) and publishing milestones including that Netflix has picking up the rights to adapt Ana Huang‘s romance novel “Twisted Love” and its sequels into a TV series in a seven-figure option deal. About AnaAna Huang is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fourteen contemporary romances, which have collectively sold over 21 million copies worldwide. Her subgenres range from sports to billionaire and suspense, but all of her books feature her signature blend of steam and swoon. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages, and she has been featured on Good Morning America, the Drew Barrymore Show, the Today Show, the Washington Post, and more. A BookTok phenomenon, her breakout Twisted series has over two billion views on the platform. It is currently in development for television at Netflix. Ana is also a crossword puzzle enthusiast and an avid traveler. She’s visited nearly forty countries, several of which have served as inspiration for her books. Where to find Ana Huang: www.anahuang.com Instagram TikTok 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your questions. Come on in and join us, we’d love to see you there! www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch the recording on our YouTube Channel @spagirlspodcast

What happens when your books don’t sell? When is it time to end a series? Or Pivot to a new penname? Wendy, Cheryl and Shar are here to give their advice and (strong!) opinions on when it’s the right time to pivot and the steps writers should take to make that decision. We’ve collectively written and published almost 200 books over the past 15 years, so we’ve experienced and witnessed a LOT of author angst, success and industry changes. We hope that this discussion is beneficial to authors at all stages of their journey! We believe in YOU! 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

One of our most popular writing craft episodes deserves a replay: Writing the Black Moment with USA Today Bestseller, Rachel Bailey. NB re audio quality, we apologise that this isn’t to our current standard (despite new editing), but we’re sure you’ll find the content worth listening to nevertheless! A fantastic tutorial on how you can take your writing to the next level! In romance fiction, the black moment (also called the dark night of the soul) is the emotional low point—when it seems like all hope is lost, the relationship is broken beyond repair, and the characters may not find their way back to each other. Some technique tips include: 1. Make It Deeply Personal The black moment hits hardest when it attacks the characters’ deepest fears or vulnerabilities. Ask: What is your character most afraid of? What do they believe about love that this moment confirms? How does this moment feel like the ultimate betrayal or failure? 2. Use Physical and Emotional Reactions Let your character feel it in their body—give them tears, anger, numbness, or gut-punch dread. Make readers feel it. 3. Let It Be Messy This moment is the emotional climax. Don’t hold back on drama, raw dialogue, misunderstandings, or irreversible decisions (or ones that feel that way). 4. Show the Stakes Make sure the reader understands what’s truly at risk—not just the relationship, but something deeper (identity, trust, belief in love). ABOUT RACHEL Rachel Bailey is a lover of books, dogs, and popcorn. Luckily, she has two dogs, a popcorn maker, and bookshelves overflowing with books, so she’s covered on all fronts. Despite spending her life trying to scam more time to read, she’s managed to graduate with degrees in psychology and social work, as well as a PhD in English, and now has her dream job – making up stories for a living. Her books have hit bestseller lists, have won and been nominated for awards, are published in over twenty-six countries and have been translated into sixteen languages. Rachel’s first three novels were released in 2010, and all three became USA Today bestsellers. She has since had books released with three different publishers and dipped her toes in the self-publishing waters, though she recently took a break from publishing to complete her PhD. A past president of the Romance Writers of Australia, Rachel regularly teaches writing workshops at local, national, and international conferences and writing festivals. Find her at: www.rachelbailey.com 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Jennifer Hilt is a USA Today Bestselling author urban fantasy and non-fiction creator of The Trope Thesaurus series. She joins us this episode to really dig into how to use tropes in your fiction (no matter the genre), practical ways of applying them, how to use them to amp up the emotion and characterisation, and your characters’ GMC (goal, motivation and conflict). Jennifer gives lots of tips for practical application and if you’ve ever been confused about where to start writing with tropes, or how to identify the tropes in your existing work, then this episode will help! About Jennifer Jennifer Hilt is a USA Today Bestselling author of The Trope Thesaurus, Horror Trope Thesaurus, and Trope Thesaurus Romance. She has written twenty-four books across four pen names plus her urban fantasy series: The Undead Detective. With degrees in linguistics and literature, Jennifer loves talking about story development. She also collects dictionaries in unfamiliar languages, binges scandi-noir series, and shouts out tropes from the comfort of her couch. Check out her website at: https://www.jenniferhilt.com and her YouTube channel @‌tropetalk. 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

🎙 Welcome back to the SPA Girls Podcast! Today, we’re diving into one of the most powerful tools in your writer’s toolkit—story structure! Whether you’re a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between, a strong story structure is the secret sauce that keeps readers turning the pages. In this episode, we’ll dive into chapter “rules”, beats,scenes and sequences, how to craft a compelling beginning, keep the momentum going in the middle, and deliver a satisfying, page-turning ending—while making sure your readers get exactly what they crave. So grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger!), and let’s strengthen that story structure! Resources mentioned: Four Act Structure https://www.masterclass.com/articles/four-act-structure Helen Scheuerer on the SPA Girls Podcast EP #282 https://www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep282-interview-with-helen-scheuerer/ Rachel Bailey – The Black Moment – SPA Girls Podcast EP80 https://www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep82-the-black-moment-featuring-author-rachel-bailey/ Sara Rosett – SPA Girls Podcast EP133 https://www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-episode-133-interview-with-sara-rosett-writing-cozy-mysteries/ Book mentioned: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

What ten editing tips should all authors know? We share in this classic replay of our interview with Editorial Consultant, Mary-Theresa Hussey. Prior to becoming a freelance editorial consultant, Mary-Theresa (known as Matrice) worked at Harlequin for more than 25 years, editing nearly a thousand titles. As editor, senior and executive editor, she read, acquired, revised, rejected and critiqued triple that. Many of the books she has edited went on to find places on both the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists. About Mary-Theresa Hussey How do you recognize an editor? Aside from a love of finding typos in menus, guessing plots while halfway through movies, and an insatiable curiosity about the how and why, an editor will often be adaptable, flexible, know the rules—and know when to ignore them because it makes a better story. Mary-Theresa Hussey–also known as Matrice–knew from the start she loved the stories found in books—and that she didn’t want to be a writer. Some courses in Villanova University where classmates critiqued each other’s papers made her intrigued by the role of the person behind the author. A native New Yorker, she worked with Harlequin for over 25 years, editing nearly a thousand titles. As editor, senior and executive editor she read, acquired, revised, rejected and critiqued triple that. Now she’s bringing her experience to the freelance world. Aside from her love of genre fiction, she likes tv and movies, traveling, taking pictures and browsing on the internet. She’s always eager for the next good story—and hoping it’s well-told. Contact her at [email protected] Links Mentioned: Resources mentioned: Tiktok – follow @iamthatenglishteacher for grammar and punctuation tips KM Weiland’s Structuring Your Novel (https://www.amazon.com/K-M-Weiland/e/B002RCXQ00/) Enneagram : https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions Myers Briggs: https://www.truity.com/test/type-finder-personality-test-new Purdue Writing resources: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/index.html 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

The SPA Girls get down and personal with a Q1 2025 catchup! From surprising successes, unexpected writing tips, hybrid publishing adventures to mindset resets, we Keep It Real in this wild author life. Links mentioned: Wendy Vella website , CA Phipps website, Trudi Jaye website www.theauthorhelper.com Vinci Books https://www.vinci-books.com/ Dragonblade Publishing https://www.dragonbladepublishing.com/ Maggie Marr (SPA Girls Podcast Episode #451 (https://www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep451-interview-with-maggie-marr/ ) Heather Hildenbrand (SPAGirls Podcast Episode #434 (https://www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep434-top-3-mindset-tips-for-authors-with-heather-hildenbrand/ ) Erin Wright (SPA Girls Podcast EP391 (https://www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep391-how-to-successfully-publish-wide-with-erin-wright/ ) Maggie Stiefvater (https://maggiestiefvater.com/ ) Waitomo Caves https://www.waitomo.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. Visit Site All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

A Classic Replay of an episode we recorded with the fabulous NYT Bestseller, Laurelin Page, a few years ago. Her advice is just as relevant today to invigorate sales on your backlist books. Laurelin defines a backlist as a book that’s more than 12 months old. Top tips she discussed in this podcast CRAMMED with amazing advice: 1. Keep a calendar for the upcoming year and write in your new releases, then pad around it with backlist titles for “working” once a month 2. The easiest thing to recharge a book is designing a new cover – even if the old cover is good, people want to look at something new. Don’t be precious with your covers. 3. Change your mindset from traditional book marketers: lean into the strengths that indie gives us – and that’s likely changing covers annually When considering her backlist, Laurelin first looks at making cover changes (for entire series ideally – if you can’t afford to do them all at once, then save up rather than doing one at a time). She tries to pair a cover change with a bookbub / freebooksy / blog tour etc – treat the book like it’s a new thing 4. Experiment with lowering the price. A sale can attract new readers (once every six months). Always put your best book as your freebie. Timeframe – it’s never too early to have a sale. Laurelin likes to wait to get the full price audience to see the book first, then reaches a new audience with a sale. For books in KU, she also prefers using five free days rather than a countdown deal. 5. Free Prequels – experiment with these (cliffhangery endings leading into the first book of the series) Need to be wide (can be just Nook for price matching) if you’re in KU. Can do these before AND after release.  Laurelin plans prequels ahead of time. 6. REPACKAGE – especially if getting rights back from trad pubbed books, re-edit, retitle (with a note for readers), recover, always tell readers where to go to the next book. 7. Front and back matter: Laurelin has her full backlist listed in the front matter with a newsletter signup (free book monthly given away thanks to newsletter swaps with similar authors); backmatter focuses on the next step you want readers to take – ie next book. 8. Work your newsletter – send 2 / 3 times per month. Mention your other books frequently. Don’t release then forget them – people need reminding. In every newsletter feature one of your backlist. 9. Marketing is cumulative. You have to keep pushing your backlist. 10. Consider moving in and out of KU if you have more than one book. Treat the move as a new release – do a blog tour etc. 11. Connect books in series, even if there’s no connection for better read through (eg “Summer Reading Series”. 12. Change Titles – is there a catchier way of reaching new readers? Ask what your title tells you about the book. 13. Make your book look new in a different way. Put it in a boxed set? If wide, look at what is ranking well in the Apple charts for your genre and examine cover trends; if KU, look at Amazon.  14. Bundle with other authors – eg “Hot for the holidays” multi-author bundle 15. Don’t shy away from reworking (editing / rewriting / repackaging) existing backlist if they’re not selling Don’t take these tips in isolation. It’s important to ask yourself the overarching question “What can I do to make people find this particular book?” Stop focussing on release week and measuring your success (or failure!) with that. Get out of that mindset! About Laurelin Paige With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Killing Eve, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. She’s represented by Rebecca Friedman for literary and Jon Brown at Ensemble Entertainment for film. Find Laurelin at: https://www.laurelinpaige.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Today we welcome back Tara Cremin, Director of Kobo Writing Life (KWL) to chat about exciting new opportunities for authors on Kobo and her very best tips and tricks for selling more books and finding your readers! Bio: Tara is the Director of Kobo Writing Life (KWL), Kobo’s premier self-publishing platform, where she combines her passion for books with over a decade of expertise in indie publishing. As a dedicated advocate for independent authors, Tara works tirelessly to ensure KWL remains the most intuitive and author-friendly platform in the industry. She leads a team of enthusiastic book lovers who are deeply engaged in the indie publishing community, always striving to help authors expand their reach and connect with new readers worldwide. In addition to her work behind the scenes, Tara regularly hosts live events featuring authors and industry experts, fostering conversations that inspire and inform the writing community. She’s also a familiar voice on the Kobo Writing Life Podcast, where she shares insights and interviews with leaders in the publishing world. Links:  Kobo Writing Life : https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/writinglife KWL Podcast : https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/kwlpodcast 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Lucy Score is an instant #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of our all time favorite podcast guests (we’ve interviewed her twice now). She is a fantastic example of great branding, great writing, great team work and immense talent for connecting with her readers. In this Classic Replay episode (2021), Lucy talked about her wonderful facebook group, connecting with readers and why relationships are SO important in your publishing business. About Lucy Lucy Score is an instant #1 New York Times bestselling author. She grew up in a literary family who insisted that the dinner table was for reading and earned a degree in journalism. She writes full-time from the Pennsylvania home she and Mr. Lucy share with their obnoxious cat, Cleo. When not spending hours crafting heartbreaker heroes and kick-ass heroines, Lucy can be found on the couch, in the kitchen, or at the gym. She hopes to someday write from a sailboat, oceanfront condo, or tropical island with reliable Wi-Fi. Sign up for her never annoying newsletter at https://www.lucyscore.net/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

If you’ve ever wondered about Kickstarter – where to start, if it’s right for you, and tips for running successful Kickstarter campaigns, this episode is for you! We’re delighted to have Oriana Leckert from Kickstarter here today to explain All Things Kickstarter for authors! What is it, and why should authors be using it? Oriana answers best practices for running a successful campaign, the challenges of Kickstarter and common mistakes authors make – and how to avoid them! About Oriana Leckert Oriana Leckert is deeply passionate about the written word, in all its wild and wonderful forms. She is currently the Director of Publishing & Comics Outreach at Kickstarter, and has long been a writer, editor, publishing and crowdfunding consultant, and cultural hipstorian [sic] in Brooklyn, NY. Having worked in and around the media for more than a decade, Oriana was Kickstarter’s Senior Journalism Outreach Lead, Creative Content Director for Per La Mente, Director of Matchmaking at Gotham Ghostwriters, Editor-at-Large for Hyperallergic, Copyeditor at MTV News, Associate Editor at Random House, and a store manager at New York’s famed Strand Bookstore. She has also served as a freelance editor for more than 100 publishers and websites, as well as offering a broad array of editorial services to individuals. Find out more about Oriana at http://www.oriana-leckert.com/ Explore Kickstarter at: https://www.kickstarter.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

This is a SPA Girls Classic Replay of an amazing interview we did a few years ago with Becca Syme. Becca Syme holds a master’s degree in transformational leadership and has been a success coach (primarily utilizing the Gallup Strengthsfinder®) for over fifteen years. She’s coached over 5,000 individual authors and creatives through her Write Better-Faster and Strengths for Writers classes & coaching cohorts: six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike. Becca talks to us about how we can all write better-faster in our writing careers, using our own unique skills to improve your chances of success. It’s not about tips and techniques for getting more words per hour – it’s about understanding who you are as a writer, your strengths within that, and using those talents in the best way to ensure you are successful. Note that some of the links and courses mentioned in the recording may have been updated. For up to date information go to : https://betterfasteracademy.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Holly Roberds, spicy romance author and Booktok fav is here to tell us all about Building Fandoms and reaching Critical Mass with her publishing strategy. From facebook ads, pinterest boards, to her readers group, Holly gives actionable tips you can apply to your own author career, today! “People crave identity, specialness and a place to belong.” ~ Holly Roberds Resources mentioned: Ana Huang interview with the SPA Girls https://www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep404-interview-with-ana-huang/ RAM https://romanceauthormastermind.com/ BIO: Holly Roberds started her writing journey with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Terminator fanfiction before creating her own fantastical worlds brimming with fierce, if not slightly unhinged, heroines and spicy encounters. As an Amazon Top 100 Bestseller and Booktok favorite, her paranormal romances have captivated a global audience. Proudly a Colorado girl, Holly jokes about her outdoorsy nature, which is limited to enjoying drinks on patios in Denver. She subsists on the tears of her readers and feeds on their lack of sleep like a vampire, savoring every late-night page-turner she inspires. Find Holly at: https://hollyroberds.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Bella is a true Indie Superstar with more than 10 million books sold (so far!). We interviewed her when she visited New Zealand for the Romance Writers of NZ conference a few years ago and this is well worth a re-listen. Bella is an inspiration and talks about her path to self-publishing, how she made it as an Indie, and her advice for people aiming to follow in her footsteps… Bella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Sullivans®, The Maverick Billionaires and The Davenports series. Having sold more than 10 million books, Bella Andre’s novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 93 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Stephen King). Apple iBooks named her one of their “Bestselling Authors of All Time” (alongside Nicholas Sparks, Nora Roberts and EL James). And Publishers Weekly named Oak Press, the publishing company she created to publish her own books, the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s The Sullivans® series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia. Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top writers in America”; and she has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and  TIME Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City. Find Bella at www.bellaandre.com 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

You’ve heard of tropes – but have you heard of MICRO tropes? Today’s guest, romcom queen Amy Award, is sharing her incredible experience of incorporating readers fav micro-tropes, scenes and emotions that have made her books bestsellers! About Amy Romantic Comedy author Amy Award is a USA Today Bestselling author and TikTok Sensation. She writes curvy girl romance about real love and dirty fun, with happy ever afters because every girl deserves great sex and even better romance, no matter her size, shape or what the scale says. She’s also written more than 50 books under the paranormal romance pen name Aidy Award, and 4 books under the pen name Amy Award. https://www.authoramyaward.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Skye went from struggling to earn five figures while working all day, to earning over a million dollars a year working only four hours a day.  This is part two of two episodes where Skye covers her facebook advertising strategies that you don’t want to miss!  Skye Warren is a publishing powerhouse and founder of the famed Romance Author Mastermind. This is a classic replay of an interview we recorded back in 2019 and is still absolutely as relevant and inspiring today as it was then. Enjoy! Listen to part one here Find Skye at: https://www.skyewarren.com/ Skye Warren & Ines Johnson course for authors: https://www.authoradsintensive.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode

Skye Warren went from struggling to earn five figures while working all day, to earning over a million dollars a year working only four hours a day.  This is part one of two parts you don’t want to miss!  Skye Warren is a publishing powerhouse and founder of the famed Romance Author Mastermind. This is a classic replay of an interview we recorded back in 2019 and is still absolutely as relevant and inspiring today as it was then. Enjoy! Find Skye at: https://www.skyewarren.com/ Skye Warren & Ines Johnson course for authors: https://www.authoradsintensive.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode

Start the New Year strong! From choosing your “word of the year” to planning tools that simplify your workflow, we share our picks. Tune in and make this your most productive year yet! 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

 Who’s been naughty and who’s been nice?  The SPA Girls are here with with festive advice! 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

We’re thrilled to have Ines back in the SPA to teach us about Direct Selling for Authors AND Special Editions in a very special episode packed with great advice for writers at all stages. Ines is a former television producer and college professor, and alongside her fiction writing, is producing some amazing resources for author including her podcast and courses for authors. Links mentioned in the podcast: Katie Cross – SPA Girls EP433 Joanna Penn and Payhip https://www.ingramspark.com Ines and Skye Warren’s course Direct Sales For Romance Authors About Ines Ines writes books for strong women who suck at love. If you rocked out to the twisted triangle of Jem, Jericha, and Rio as a girl; if you were slayed by vampires with souls alongside Buffy; if you need your scandalous fix from Olivia Pope each week, then you’ll love her books! Aside from being a writer, professional reader, and teacher, Ines is a very bad Buddhist. She sits in sangha each week, and while others are meditating and getting their zen on, she’s contemplating how to use the teachings to strengthen her plots and character motivations. Ines lives outside Washington, DC with her two little sidekicks who are growing up way too fast. Ines’ author website : https://ineswrites.com/ Ines’ author courses: https://thebreakdown.teachable.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

A Replay Classic : Samantha Price is a USA Today bestselling author of Amish romance and cozy mysteries. Focused and organized, Samantha’s results speak for themselves, but it will amaze you to hear how prolific she is and how she built her career in a smaller niche than usual. About Samantha:Samantha grew up in the Brethren community and has a deep affinity for the Amish way of life, which she has studied in detail during over a decade of dedicated research. Her stories radiate authenticity and heart, transporting readers into the peaceful and inspiring world of the Amish community. Samantha is also an animal lover. She shares her home with two spoiled dogs and a rescued cat who thinks she’s also a dog. www.SamanthaPriceAuthor.com 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Universe World Building / Direct Sales / Earning Six Figures  Kaci Rose is a steamy romance author who published her first book in March 2020 and has since  catapulted into six figure income thanks to intentionally connecting her books within a universe. We’re rapt she’s in the SPA to share how she connects her books, intentionally putting characters into “guest” appearances, selling bundles via her direct store and many more pearls of wisdom you won’t want to miss!. 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

*A SPA Girls Classic Episode* … Stop dreading writing another author newsletter aSPA Girls Podcast – EP476 – nd get ready to sell more books with email! Holly Darling (Mortimer) is the “newsletter queen” and has fantastic, actionable tips. Holly talked with us a few years ago and her advice is still as relevant today as it was then. Get ready to ramp up your author newsletter in 2025! Find Holly at: https://pages.hollydarlinghq.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

A short but impactful (hopefully!) run down of great tips for growing your author career and staying (relatively) sane and focussed. Topics include: Consistency, no matter the speed Diversification / be nimble AI Personal Connection You Do You 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Kel Carpenter is a publishing powerhouse who has been a successful fulltime author since she was just 22 years old. With the goal of publishing 30 books by 30 years, she’s achieved that and more! Kel has incredible business-savvy and a “learning” mindset that has helped her achieve multi-six figure pa success, manage burnout, and diversify her income streams. As well as her fiction, Kel is the creator of the Rule Your Author Empire course (and book) at https://www.ruleyourauthorempire.com/ Resources mentioned: Heather Hildenbrand – SPA Girls EP434 – Manifest Your HEA Renee Rose –SPA Girls EP365 Write To Riches You can find Kel at https://kelcarpenter.com/ and https://www.ruleyourauthorempire.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Cathy Yardley is an award-winning author of romance, chick lit, and urban fantasy, who has sold over 1.2 million copies of books for publishers like St. Martin’s, Avon, and Harlequin. We met Cathy at the 2024 Romance Writers of New Zealand conference, and immediately knew we had to get her on the show! This is a fantastic episode for writers at all stages of their careers. Cathy covers writing in your unique voice, writing your truth and how to ROCK YOUR PLOT. Books mentioned in the episode:Debra Dixon’s GMC (Goal, Motivation & Conflict) Jack Bickham’s Scene & Structure Cathy Yardley’s Will Write For Shoes About Cathy: Cathy Yardley is an award-winning author of romance, chick lit, and urban fantasy, who has sold over 1.2 million copies of books for publishers like St. Martin’s, Avon, and Harlequin. She writes fun, geeky, and diverse characters who believe that underdogs can make good and that sometimes being a little wrong is just right. She likes writing about quirky, crazy adventures, because she’s had plenty of her own: she had her own army in the Society of Creative Anachronism; she spent a New Year’s on a three-day solitary vision quest in the Mojave Desert; she had VIP access to the Viper Room in Los Angeles. Now, she spends her time writing in the wilds of East Seattle, trying to prevent her son from learning the truth of any of said adventures, and riding herd on her two dogs (and one husband.) You can find Cathy at : www.rockyourwriting.com (for writers) and cathyyardley.com 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Comparison is the thief of joy -Theodore Roosevelt Today we talk about comparisonitis in the SPA. A topic we’re sure is dear to many hearts. We live in a world where we can see what everyone else is doing online. Successes and failures. We are the ‘instant gratification’ generation, and have a need for success, so we compare ours with others! So sit back with your favorite beverage and let’s dive in, and see if we can work through a few things that may help. 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast @spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Get ready to be inspired this week by our guest interviewee, romance author Juliette N. Banks. “In 2020 I wrote a book, pitched it to a few agents, got rejected three times, and waited another 35 seconds before deciding to self-publish. One of the best decisions of my life.” ~ Juliette N. Banks Juliette is a bestselling romance author who has taken the genre by storm with her popular series The Moretti Blood Brothers, The Dark Kings of NYC, and The Dufort Dynasty. She has written more than 50 contemporary and paranormal romances (on the same pen name). Juliette has a vast background in consumer marketing and brings her business savvy to her business planning, release strategies, reader relationships and mindset. This is an incredibly inspirational episode and we cover everything from approaching self-publishing with a “business” mindset, combining genres on the one pen name, release strategies, getting regular bookbubs, building a a loyal audience, and encouragement for those starting out, as well as experienced authors. You can find Juliette at: www.juliettebanks.com Read her guest post for Bookbub : https://insights.bookbub.com/maximize-first-featured-deal/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

This episode we discuss Book Signings and Book Fairs – in person events where authors get out of the writing cave and actually (gasp!) interact with readers and fellow authors. These can be great fun – and a little intimidating. Wendy’s just returned from RARE Edinburgh so we grilled her on how she prepped, her table “set up”, how preorders worked, what merchandise she took and how she handled the signing. Cheryl’s done a number of book fairs in New Zealand and there is a definite benefit to starting locally and finding your feet at smaller events. Links: https://rarettes.wordpress.com/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Rebecca Hefner is a USA Today bestselling author who is a passionate advocate for authors to reach more readers through publishing their books across a wide number of retailers, as well as on their own store. This episode she shares how she juggles her writing over three pen names, creating a monthly schedule for easy marketing and social media wrangling, and lots more marketing advice for connecting with readers. Rebecca’s has also created an amazing tools for authors: The website is BuyDirectFromAuthors.com. Here are the FAQs for authors who want to list their stores: Buy Direct From Authors FAQ Romance Audiobookworms – Stuff Your Earbuds events. The website is RomanceAudiobookworms.com. Here are the FAQs for authors who want to participate in the event: Romance Audiobookworms FAQs.docx Indie Audiobook Deals. There are lots of opportunities for authors to promote their wide audiobooks here: For Authors The 3 apps Rebecca finds most helpful on Shopify are: Selleasy (upsell app), King Linked Options (allows authors to combine separate product pages so they appear as variants on the same page), and Frequently Bought Together. Rebecca’s bio:USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Hefner writes steamy Romantasy and Dystopian Romance with sexy silver-fox heroes and the badass women who bring them to their knees. She also writes steamy Contemporary Romance under Ayla Asher, mostly with main characters over 35, because people of all ages deserve steamy romance too. Rebecca’s other passion is teaching authors how to be successful with wide audio and direct sales. She believes wide and direct selling is the future, and thinks corporate retailers have too much control over authors’ catalogs and readers. Join her as she chips away the big retailers’ market share one day at a time.😊 Find her at: rebeccahefner.com, buydirectfromauthors.com and her facebook group Marketing Audiobooks Wide The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Join us as we talk to Lana Love, the USA Today bestselling author of short romances featuring curvy heroines and the powerful men who can’t live without them.  Lana talks to us about how she has achieved success in short romance in less than two years using a mix of mindset, research and plain old stubbornness (her words, not ours…). We talk about what she did to level up, including the research she did and the tough decisions she made. It’s a fascinating interview we know you’ll love!  Find Lana Love at: https://loveheartbooks.com/ And in her facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/746330989530967 💗 💗 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! 💗 💗 💗 ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Anne-Marie Meyer is an Amazon and Apple Top 100 best seller and a 3x USA Today Bestselling author.Sweet Romance Author, Anne-Marie Meyer is an Amazon and Apple Top 100 best seller and a 3x USA Today Bestselling author. With absolute intention Anee-Marie challenges herself to improve on how she sells. From Tik Tok to Direct sales she has hit heady heights, particularly in the last 12 months. After her Amazon account was shut down for 48 hrs in 2022 for false reasons, she’s decided that it would be best to bring her stories directly to her readers hands and it has worked! Listen up for all her tips. You won’t be disappointed. Find her at  https://authoranne-mariemeyer.com/ Building a Book Empire facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildingabookempire Writing Gals facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/170375933609063 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Your book cover is the “shop window” of your hard work, and it has to do the heavy lifting to attract potential readers to go on and read your blurb. So how do you figure out which cover is the best for you? This episode we give tips and tricks for choosing your cover and the elements that will connect with YOUR right readers. Resources mentioned (just put the episode number in your podcast app, or our website search bar) SPA Girls Podcast #457 Kindletrends SPA Girls Podcast #464 Alexa Rivers SPA Girls Podcast #206 Chris Fox SPA Girls Podcast #224 Rebekah Haskell SPA Girls Podcast #404 Ana Huang SPA Girls Podcast #221 Laurelin Paige 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Theodora Taylor is back! And she’s here to tell us how to craft our blurbs that hook readers and skyrocket sales. Theodora Taylor is the bestselling author of the 50 Loving States Series. Despite writing within a niche genre (interracial romance), she has earned six KDP All-Star bonuses and grown a fanbase of rabid readers through the power of Universal Fantasy. Her book, 7 FIGURE FICTION: How to Use Universal Fantasy to SELL Your Books to ANYONE was an instant #1 non-fiction bestseller in the Writing Category on Amazon and has since been certified as Great by the world’s largest online bookseller. Most importantly, this book has become a valued and treasured resource for writers around the world. Theodora has been invited to give presentations on Universal Fantasy by NINC (Novelists Inc.) Conference, RAM (Romance Author Mastermind), and Inker’s Con. She’s also a highly sought-after podcast guest. She’s made appearances on The Creative Penn (hosted by Joanna Penn), Six Figure Authors, #AmWriting, Wish I’d Known Then, and SPA Girls (now twice!). For writers: Butter Blurb Master Class https://universalfantasycourse.thinkific.com/courses/butter-blurb-master-class https://7figurefiction.com/ For readers: https://theodorataylor.com/ Links mentioned: Theodora’s Universal Fantasies Episode with the SPA Girls EP#315 BOOKS Mentioned in recording: Ali Hazelwood: Check & Mate, Love Theoretically Sally Thorne: The Hating Game Deborah Harkness: A Discovery Of Witches Rebecca Yarros: Fourth Wing Lindsay Devin – Wolf King 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

When she decided to write a palate cleanser novel in a completely different genre – with a brand new pen name – Alexa Rivers had no idea she would have a hit on her hands. In this interview she talks about why she wrote the book, how she picked the new pen name, the marketing she did, and how a book she wasn’t expecting to do much at all… kinda did awesome. 🙂 She also talks about the ups and downs of her journey with TikTok, and gives some great pieces of advice for everyone to use! SHOW NOTES: About Alexa Alexa Rivers writes about genuine characters living messy, imperfect lives and earning hard-won happily ever afters. She shares a house with a neurotic dog and a husband who thinks he’s hilarious. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, baking, eating too much chocolate, cuddling fluffy animals, drinking excessive amounts of tea, and absorbing herself in fictional worlds. Find her at alexarivers.com Resources mentioned in the episode:Kate Hall’s Tik Tok Course: https://www.alynedigital.com/?aff=103 SPA Girls Episode #443 with Kate Hall http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep443-book-marketing-and-tiktok-with-kate-hall/ SPA Girls Episode #276 Character Centric Plotting with Alexa Rivers http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep276-character-centric-plotting-with-alexa-rivers/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Attending conferences helps us network with professionals in the author world and gain insights and ideas to make our jobs easier or to upskill. What can you hope to get out of conference? > Conference helps us find our tribe. The SPAGirls wouldn’t be here without RWNZ and their conferences. > Conferences show us we’re not alone. > Conferences are inspirational in so many ways. eg. Make us write more regularly, show us that we’re doing okay. > Conferences help us see where we can improve on what we already do. Tips: > Conferences are fun and can be exhausting. Soak up what you can while you’re there and let ideas percolate for a while before implementing them. You don’t have to try everything and you shouldn’t do it all at once. Pick one thing at a time. > Before you go decide on the workshops that excite you the most. > Be present when attending sessions. > Take downtime when needed. > Keep hydrated. About the SPA Girls Podcast:  💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Welcome back to another SPA Girls minisode. This one is a bit of a controversial take on mistakes writers make that make their work B O R I N G.  How do we know these? Because we’ve all made them!  So learn from us in ten minutes or less with a quick SPA Girls minisode. Enjoy! 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

The best places to publish your books are the one/s that best suit you the best given your audience, energy, time and publishing philosophy. So how do you decide what platform is right for you? Should you “be Amazon exclusive, “go direct”, “publish wide” and/or use an aggregator? And what do those terms even mean? Firstly the definitions: Amazon Exclusive – means publishing your ebooks exclusively on Amazon and in the Kindle Unlimited subscription reading program for at least the initial 90 day period. This exclusivity requirement by Amazon applies to ebooks only; you can publish your print books and audio books on other platforms if you so wish. Publishing Wide – means publishing your ebooks on as many retailers as you choose, including the “big four” : Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Apple Books. Going Direct – means setting up your publishing account directly with each retailer and uploading your books yourself. Aggregators are service providers who you upload your books to, select which retailers you wish to publish on, and they then distribute them widely to your chosen online retailers in return for a percentage on sales. We use Draft2Digital. FIRST RULE no matter where you publish: ALWAYS read the terms and conditions for each online retailer so you understand what you’re agreeing to. Each retailer has clear guidelines and comprehensive information for authors. Take the time to understand them. The following is OUR summation as at the time of recording, August 2024. Things change in the self-publishing landscape, so do your due diligence. The pros and cons are for us; you may feel differently which is perfectly okay too! Amazon You want to sell on Amazon, the #1 book retailer that captures 60% of the market. However, you also want to maximize your sales potential by reaching the other 40% of the market with channels like Apple Books and Kobo. Amazon’s KDP Select program requires you to sell exclusively to them for 90 days. There are a few pros to this program. But if 90 days’ worth of non-Amazon royalties matter to you, ditch the exclusivity and publish wide. There is a way to reach Amazon and everywhere else. An aggregator like PublishDrive simplifies the process and lets you keep 100% of your net royalties. Amazon generates around $28 billion worldwide from book sales every year, responsible for over 50% of sales, controlling between 50-80% of book distribution in the US. Amazon dominates the ebook market by around 70%. Amazon sells 3x more print books than ebooks. Its Audible platform captures around 60% of the audiobook market. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is the largest ebook publisher of self-published books. Around 30% of Amazon’s ebook sales are self-published. KDP Select is an ebook-only program you can enroll in while uploading your title to Amazon’s self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). When you enroll, your ebook is made available in Kindle Unlimited (KU), a subscription program for readers that allows them to read as many books as they want. To enroll, you must commit to distributing your ebook only through KDP and nowhere else for 90 days. After this period, you can opt out or renew for another 90 days. Apple You’ll reach readers in more countries. As I’m writing this, Amazon operates in 13 countries worldwide. But Apple Books are sold in more than 50 countries. And while Amazon may be the dominant player in the US and UK, it is far from that in other countries. In the US, Apple Books has overtaken Barnes & Noble for second-place to Amazon in ebook sales. Apple Books accounts for roughly 10 percent of the global ebook market. Apple Books has about a 10 percent share of the US ebook market. Apple Books has about a 30 percent market share in Australia. You’ll reach a slightly younger crowd. On the Indy Author Podcast #87 (every episode is amazing), Draft2Digital executive Dan Wood said that “Apple seems to have captured a much younger crowd. Primarily I’d say female and somewhere in mid-twenties to early forties.” So if you’re looking to reach younger women, it may make sense to publish to Apple Books. Apple Books readers are said to be willing to pay higher prices than Amazon readers. Apple Books will give you high royalties (70 percent) and high visibility for ebook box sets sold exclusively on Apple Books. (Kobo Writing Life will do the same.) Apple Books has affiliate codes which you can use without restrictions Authors like how Apple Books does its preorders—differently from Amazon. In short, pre-orders are factored into sales rank as they happen and are counted cumulatively on launch day in your sales rank. The latter isn’t true on Amazon. In other words, Apple Books incentivizes you to get a lot of pre-orders. Kobo Kobo, an anagram for “book,” is a Toronto-based retailer of eReaders like the Kobo Libra 2, the Kobo Elipsa, and the Kobo Sage, and is a retailer and distributor of ebooks and audiobooks to a global market.

If you’ve been scratching your head over how to get some more reviews on your newly published book, this is the episode for you! We break down how we have each built up and managed our ARC teams, and how we’ve gone from no reviews to hundreds of reviews. Loads of practical tips in this episode! Good resource:  How to Get Free Book Reviews with No Blog, No List, and No Begging Reedsy’s blog on book review blogs:  The Best Book Review Blogs in 2024 • How to Get Your Book Reviewed SPA Girls Interview with Alessandra Torre on Goodreads http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep235-interview-with-alessandra-torre/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Why is it some books sell well right out of the gate, and others wither on the retailer vine? Do you know why YOUR book isn’t selling? It can be for a number of reasons and this episode we run through the most common (and fixable!) options that’ll put you back on the right track. Resources mentioned: Kindletrends (make sure to listen to our recent episode with Nat Connors, creator of Kindletrends for a discount) Publisher Rocket Bklnk.com Bookbub 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

The decision to self publish her first historical women’s fiction novel – after a career writing romance – turned out to be a lucrative one for today’s guest, Kindle #1 bestselling historical women’s fiction author, Soraya Lane. The same year she self-published the novel – one that her agent told Soraya she couldn’t sell – she picked up a publishing deal (for the same book) with Amazon, and the rest, as they say, is history. Fast forward 10 years and Soraya now writes for two different traditional publishing houses – one of them still Amazon – she’s sold more than a million copies of her books and her work has been translated into more than 21 languages around the world. This week we talk about her journey into writing, what she’s learned about writing historical fiction and how translations have transformed her career. About Soraya:Soraya M. Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, and her novel Wives of War was an Amazon Charts bestseller. Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four-legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading. Soraya is the Amazon Charts & #1 Kindle bestselling author of The Secret Midwife and The Lost Daughters series, with over 1 million copies of her historical women’s fiction novels sold! For more information about Soraya and her books, visit http://www.sorayalane.com or http://www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor , or follow her on Twitter @‌Soraya_Lane 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Nat Connors of Kindletrends returns to the SPA with a new analysis tool for indie authors – an interactive infographic to help us make sense of the book categories on the Kindle Store. Knowing where your book (or story idea before you’ve written it) fits into the market, and how it stacks up against the packaging (cover, pricing, categories etc), for the current top sellers in your specific genre is really important. It allows you to directly target the right readers and sell more books. ‌Forget confusing tech stuff, Nat’s going to break down the UF and Small Town Romance markets in easy -to-understand ways! We highly recommend you watch the recording of this episode on our YouTube channel where you can see Nat’s screen sharing the reports watch here: https://youtu.be/n3ttp8HXy4U View SMALL TOWN ROMANCE example here: https://kindletrends.com/static/smalltown/ View URBAN FANTASY example here: https://kindletrends.com/static/uf/ ‌BONUS OFFER: SPA Girls listeners/viewers … sign up to kindletrends.com, use the coupon code SPA and save $5/month making your subscription just $10 / month forever! Nat’s Links:https://kindletrends.com/​https://www.facebook.com/Kindletrendshttps://x.com/kindletrends​https://www.youtube.com/@kindletrends​ Kindletrends free resources for authors: Also Boughts Downloader Chrome Extension:  Download Also Boughts And Top 100s Chrome ExtensionKindle Power Search:  How to use Kindle Power SearchList of categories on the Amazon Store:  List of All Categories in the Kindle Store

Wondering how long it’s gonna be until you’ll make enough to quit the day job? Listen to this SPA Girls Minisode all about how long it will take you to make your first $1,000 dollars in self publishing! Full of great tips, sage advice and some vulnerable moments from our own self publishing careers. If earning money from your writing is your goal, there are certain things you can do to make this happen faster. Work out how much money you’ve spent on editing, covers, formatting (can be done cost effectively and don’t let lack of $ put you off publishing)! Previously we’ve said a great goal is to make your costs on publishing book back after 6 – 12 months but this is dependent on book, release schedule etc. It is possible to earn full time from bigger books and 2 releases/ year (See SPA Girls Podcast EP 282 with Helen Scheuerer ) It’s also possible to build to $1,000 in three months by publishing shorts. Both have been done by our guests. Many authors reach 1k with one book in first few weeks. Other authors might take 2, 3 or 5 books over a longer period. Still others might labour for years and never reach 1k/month. It depends on genre, tropes, state of the market, length, voice, cover, marketing effort. BUT IT IS POSSIBLE! See Fallyn Briggs episode (http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep297-fallyn-briggs-writing-to-trend-v-writing-to-market/ ) It’s not about how many books you have – you have to write what people want to read! 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

First published in 2014, romance author Clare Connelly hit success from her very first self-published book. Now with over 120 books published, she talks to us this episode about the pros and cons of hybrid publishing, balancing writing life with a young family, how to be focussed and productive plus the mindset new writers and self publishers MUST have! *** CONTEST CLOSED – THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED *** ABOUT CLARE: Clare Connelly is the bestselling author of more than one hundred angsty, passionate romance novels. Having self-published her first book in 2014, by the end of that year, she was an Amazon All-Star in the US and UK and has since sold millions of copies of her books. She continues to self-publish and also writes her trademark romances for Harlequin and Tule. Clare has lived and breathed romance for as long as she could remember. As a child, she adored fairy tales and Disney movies, as a teen it was all about romance novels: anything from Mills & Boon (which she consumed voraciously) to Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Jilly Cooper. In 2023, alongside three other bestselling romance writers, Clare launched the How to Write Academy, a one-stop shop for aspiring genre writers. Clare met her own real life hero at the tender age of eighteen. Clare lives near the sea in South Australia. When she isn’t running kids to after school sports activities, listening to political podcasts or experimenting with French recipes, she’s writing, thinking about writing, or wishing she were writing. Find Clare at: www.clareconnelly.co.uk How To Write Academy: www.howtowriteacademy.com 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at   / spagirlspodcast   ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodca… for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Writing great books with emotional impact is key to building your readership. Today we discuss craft tips that will help you attract new readers, build your fanbase and sell more books! Resources mentioned:Lisa Cron on the SPA Girls Podcast EP249 Sacha Black on crafting great characters EP422 Writing For Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Want to make the leap to full time author? How do you know when it’s the right time to make that leap? Going from hobbiest to full time writer has been a different journey for all of us. Today we discuss: how much money you need to make the leap other considerations do you have the right personality? what support do you have will you automatically double your productivity? is there a middle ground? taking a positive risk self discipline and self care and lots more! Resources mentioned: SPA Girls Podcast EP396 – the Secrets of Story with Matt Bird SPA Girls Podcast E249 – story coach, Lisa Cron

Got your final manuscript all ready to go, and wondering how to format it for publication? This is the SPA Girls episode for you! Welcome back to another 20 min SPA Girls mini-tips session, where we break down the basics of self publishing, just for you! SHOW NOTES: What is formatting? It’s creating a file of your book so it’s delivered to readers smoothly, that it looks professional, meets the requirements of the publishing platforms and is accessible for readers with disabilities. What you need: Epub for digital / PDF for print. Book cover. Know where you’re publishing it Wide versus exclusive to Amazon? Make the decision. Final file should include: Front and back matter Front matter can include any (or all) of the following: List of your other books (optional) Copyright details Title page Dedication page Table of contents Foreword or Prologue Back matter can include: About the author Note from the author (optional) Sneak peaks Other books by the author newsletter sign uP Create the file using one of these options: Reedsy (free) Draft2Digital (free) Kindle Create (free) Microsoft Word Scrivener Vellum Atticus Adobe InDesign You can, of course, hire a professional to do this (if it’s a one-off project, or a complex layout with a lot of illustrations, that’s definitely a good option). However, investing the time into doing it yourself will pay dividends in the long run! We recommend and use Atticus and Vellum! Atticus Link Vellum Link (affiliate link) Other places to gather more information: David Gaughran – https://davidgaughran.com/how-to-format-ebooks-for-free-ebook-formatting/ Reedsy – https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-format-a-book Kindlepreneur – https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-format-a-book SPA Girls Podcast: EP432 What to Do when you’ve finished the book http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/?s=432 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions. ⭐ Get personal online coaching with the SPA Girls each month through our $100 tier. Spots for this are strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast ✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info 😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!